Migrant Ecologies: Environmental Histories of the Pacific World

Migrant Ecologies: Environmental Histories of the Pacific World explores the Pacific Ocean's diverse inhabitants, long-distance migrations, and profound influences on other parts of the world. The book argues for an interconnected Pacific World environmental history and showcases surprising and innovative perspectives on the region's environmental histories.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 31 December 2022
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press

Migrant Ecologies: Environmental Histories of the Pacific World is a groundbreaking work that delves into the rich and complex environmental history of Earth's largest ocean. Spanning nearly one-third of the planet, the Pacific Ocean is home to a diverse array of human and non-human inhabitants, who have undertaken remarkable long-distance migrations over time. These migrations have had profound impacts on other parts of the world, shaping cultures, economies, and ecosystems.

This book aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the past, present, and future of the lands, seas, peoples, practices, microbes, animals, plants, and other natural forces that shape the Pacific. It effectively argues for the existence of an interconnected Pacific World environmental history, recognizing the Pacific Ocean as a vital framework for understanding this history.

The fifteen chapters in this collection, written by leading experts from various fields, cover a wide range of topics, including disease ecology, coffee cultivation, nuclear testing, and whaling practices. These chapters explore regions ranging from the Tuamotu Archipelago in the south Pacific to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far north, challenging the notion that the Pacific is isolated and uninhabited.

What unites these diverse contributions is a deep concern for how the people, places, and non-human beings of the Pacific World have been shaped by, and have in turn modified, their oceanic realm. By building on a recent renaissance in Pacific history, these chapters make a compelling argument for the importance of the Pacific World as a coherent unit of analysis and a valuable lens through which to examine past, ongoing, and emerging environmental issues.

Through surprising and innovative perspectives on the environmental histories of the peoples and ecosystems in and around the Pacific Ocean, this work contributes to the ongoing conversation about the complex interplay between human societies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780824891060